How Our Larynx Relates To Vocal Registers

SO WHAT IS THE LARYNX?

The Larynx is the location within the throat which contains your vocal chords. The larynx has 3 main sets of muscles. These 3 sets of muscles have different functions. Let’s explore them…

THE ARYTENOID GROUP
Made up of the Posterior Crico-Arytenoids, Lateral Circa-Arytenoids and Transverse Arytenoids, this group assists with opening the vocal folds, closing the vocal folds and helping to grip the vocal folds together respectively.

THE TA (Also known as the Thyro-Arytenoid)
The thryro-arytenoids shortens the muscles of the vocal folds and lowers pitch.

THE CT (Also known as the Crico-Thyroid)
The crico-thyroid lengthens the muscles of the vocal folds and raises pitch. How do the muscles in the larynx connect with vocal registers?

CHEST VOICE
When we are singing in chest voice, we use both the TA muscles and the CT muscles however the TA muscles are superior. This means that the low overtones have more power over the high overtones allowing the complete body of the vocal folds to vibrate together.

HEAD VOICE
When we are singing in head voice, we use both the CT muscles and the TA muscles however the CT muscles are superior. As a result, the overtones are unable to present full power meaning only the edges of the vocal folds vibrate together.

MIDDLE VOICE
When we are singing in our middle register/voice, we use both the CT muscles and the TA muscles. Neither muscles are superior although for females, the middle register is still a part of the head voice even though it has a different name. For males, the middle register is a part of the chest voice but just like for females, we still use the term middle voice.

THE THROAT
The throat makes the chest voice vibrancy louder and the lower tones louder. If we are intending on singing in our chest voice, we need to focus on using the throat amplifier rather than the mouth amplifier.

THE MOUTH
The mouth makes the head voice vibrancy louder and the higher tones louder. If we are intending on singing in our head voice, we need to focus on using the mouth amplifier rather than the throat amplifier. How do we place the voice in the correct amplifier? As we cannot physically place the voice anywhere – like we would place our fingers on the strings of a guitar to play the notes – we need to have the intention of placing the sound that is being generated into the specific amplifier. Focusing on the sound being placed in the desired space will allow the wanted sound to be made. When singing in mixed voice we use both the mouth and the throat and again, gender plays a role in how this would be done.